No-Bake Espresso Martini Cheesecake
Strap in - we’re making a no-bake Espresso Martini cheesecake that’s the all-season-friendly dessert-equivalent of the cocktail!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 320kcal
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan (9- or 10-inch; I've tried both)
- Hand or stand mixer
- Piping bag with large star tip (optional)
Ingredients
Crust
- 22 Oreo cookies whole cookies; well-crushed or blended (sub in Nilla wafers plus cocoa powder if you don’t have Oreos on hand- but I like the creaminess that Oreos add to the crust.)
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
Cheesecake
- 24 ounces cream cheese (3 blocks, softened)
- 3.4 ounces Chocolate pudding mix (one package; JUST the mix-no milk)
- ½ cup vodka brand’s up to you
- ½ cup Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 rounded Tablespoon instant espresso powder (or add ⅓ cup prepared espresso - but back the liqueur amounts down to ⅓ cup each if you do)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, but really does seem to add something to the flavor.)
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (about 3 cups whipped)
Topping
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (about 1 ½ cups whipped)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (add to whipped cream - if you'd like to stabilize the whipped cream whisk in ½ teaspoon of powdered gelatin before adding to the whipping cream)
- 1 Tablespoon Kahlua
- Chocolate-covered coffee beans
Instructions
Crust
- Crush or blend Oreos to a crumb consistency - the finer they’re crushed the easier your crust will be to press into the pan, and to cut cleanly later. Pour in melted butter and stir until well combined. Press into springform pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
Cheesecake
- Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add about ½ of the pack of pudding mix - gradually so it doesn’t clump - and beat until well-mixed. Add vodka and the other ½ of the pudding mix, and beat until combined. (adding all the liquid at once can split the cream cheese and make it weird and lumpy). Repeat with the coffee liqueur and the granulated sugar, then pour in the espresso powder and vanilla and beat until well-combined.
- Whip 1 ½ cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. (Okay to substitute pre-made whipped topping if you prefer! Taste won’t be the same, but it’s faster/easier.)
- Gently fold in whipped cream (the mixture will be fairly thick. Mix until well-combined and uniform in color and consistency, but don’t overmix.)
- Transfer to springform pan on top of the Oreo crust and smooth. It will be soft-set in 15 minutes or so; for best results allow to chill 2-3 hours or overnight.
Decorating
- Combine remaining ¾ cup of heavy cream with sugar and 1 Tablespoon Kahlua; whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping or plastic bag; top cheesecake with whipped cream and espresso beans. No limits here; decorate to your heart’s content! ;)
- High-five yourself on your *awesome* Espresso Martini cheesecake - and enjoy!
Video
Notes
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate. I had difficulty finding exact nutrition information for the liqueurs, and no way to add alcohol 'grams' to the nutrition facts form.)
If Jell-O pudding mix isn't your style, Reddit users indicated 2 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin is a workable substitute. You'll probably want to add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar as well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g